When we stumbled across this, I'd like to say we were shocked. We weren't. As editors, we've heard horror stories (no pun) from writers and artists about the liberties that some editors choose to take with work that isn't their own.
While no one editor or publishing house is perfect (despite our best efforts, we've made spelling errors we haven't caught, it happens), but what happened to this writer is beyond rude. A complete rewriting of her story, snotty and insipid comments back via email, belittlement, and pettiness and threatening legal action when all she wanted was her story published like she wrote it, or the revised version pulled because she didn't approve it. He should have, in my humble opinion, started with something simple, like spellcheck since he misspelled the title incorrectly twice. But I lament...
Undead Press, Living Dead Press, and Open Casket Press are all the same editor....the aforementioned editor who crudely hacked apart a writers work. BE WARNED: submitting to these markets means THIS could happen to YOU. Mind you, this is all my opinion (because since I state its MY opinion, I don't have to worry about this...editor *coughs something much more derogatory* coming back and threatening legal action against me for my two cents on the whole thing.)
The editor has committed some seriously heinous offences (SEE Brian Keene's comments on the editor's series of books based on Romero's Living Dead characters without gaining permission from George himself).
Bottom line: editors like this give small publishing houses and print magazines a bad rap, and crush the dreams of a budding writer because of their own (again my opinion) inept ability to get published on their own.
Remember if/when you comment: make sure your comments are stated as your opinion. Don't give this individual any fuel to take legal action against you should he be so inclined.
http://mandydegeit.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/when-publishing-goes-wrong-starring-undead-press/#comment-347
